Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has opened up about his ultimately failed attempt to keep Prince Harry from emigrating to the United States.

According to the Daily Mail, Johnson details his so-called “manly pep talk” to the Duke of Sussex in his forthcoming “sensational” memoir. According to the paper, Johnson was trying to convince members of the embattled royal family to stay in Britain and remain in the monarchy with his wife, Meghan Markle, and then only son, Prince Archie.

“It's outrageous ...... When Harry was forced to convince me to stay,” the former prime minister wrote. 'It was like a manly pep talk. It was utterly hopeless.” According to Johnson's memoir, the ill-fated talk took place in January 2020, just weeks after Johnson won the election. He “thought that Downing Street and Buckingham Palace officials might be persuaded by Harry's shock decision to quit the UK and leave his royal duties,” the Daily Mail reported.

Johnson explained that the “secret meeting” took place when the two attended the UK-Africa Investment Summit in London and lasted about 20 minutes. According to Johnson, no aides were present while the two were talking.

On February 19, 2021, Buckingham Palace announced that “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have confirmed to Her Majesty the Queen that they will not return as active members of the Royal Family.”

“Following a conversation with the Duke, the Queen has confirmed that her departure from royal duties makes it impossible for her to continue with the responsibilities and duties associated with public life,” the statement continued. The honorary positions and royal patronage held by the Duke and Duchess will therefore revert to Her Majesty the Queen and be redistributed to active members of the royal family.”

According to Johnson's friends, the former prime minister was disappointed that he had been unable to persuade Prince Harry to join him.

“He thought they were a great asset to the British firm and it would be a real shame for them to leave after doing such a great job,” the friend told The Daily Beast.

“It was a man-to-man conversation, they were completely alone. But Harry had no intention of turning. He had lost his conviction at that point.”

“Boris succeeded in making Brexit happen, but even he couldn't stop Meggitt,” the friend added.

Despite recent reports that Prince Harry has met with a trusted friend to seek advice on how he might return to the monarchy and repair his strained relationship with King Charles and Prince William, the Duke of Sussex has made it He has made it clear that he has no intention of returning to England.